Encore
by Orange Sherbet
Summary: If there is a god out there, please let me wake up from this nightmare. Ryuu Tsubasa, the absolute greatest singer in the world, is Sasuke Uchiha, AKA the nerd who sits behind me in chemistry class and flicks spitballs at the back of my head.


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**E**_n_c**o**_r_e

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From their very first meeting back in freshman year, Sasuke Uchiha had hated Sakura Haruno.

-o-

**Freshman Year**

-o-

Sakura smirked, hefting her pink studded Kathy purse higher on her shoulder. Currently, she stood in the doorway of Konoha High, the school she had just transferred to. Everything was just as she expected; long, regal hallways with marble floors in place of tacky tile, floor-to-ceiling lockers big enough to take a nap in, and an array of trophies won and sports to choose from.

Oh yes, Sakura was going to like it here.

You see, there were two types of people at Konoha High; the Rich and the Popular, and the Others. In other words, if you didn't have a credit card and Coach purse, you were a nobody in this school.

Sakura happened to be both rich and popular, and had the kind of personality that drew others to her like a moth to a flame. Her smile was contagious, people would say. And she knew it to be true.

So Sakura sashayed down the hall like she fucking owned the place, clad in a red mini skirt and a matching white and red shirt-and-tank assemble that brought out her hair and clashed with her eyes.

"_Whore_."

Sakura whirled around, shocked. Until now, she'd thought the hallway was empty save for her.

"Whose there?" She asked, hand on her hip. Did someone really just call her, a brand new student they couldn't possibly know anything about, a _whore_?

Oh _hell _no.

"That'd be me," A guy dressed in ragged dark wash jeans and a black hoodie emerged from behind one of the hallways. He made a show of looking her up and down, "Just as I thought, you're another _whore_."

Sakura ground her teeth together. She never had much control over her temper, and if this guy wasn't careful he'd end up with two black eyes.

"You don't know one thing about me. I don't see how you can simply label me a whore, which, by the way, I'm _not._"

The boy-what was his _name_?-smirked. "I call 'em as I see 'em."

Sakura's apple green eyes narrowed, "Then I supposed I'll do the same for you, druggie."

"I'm not a druggie." The boy had the gall to look offended.

_Heh. _"I call 'em as I see 'em." Sakura mimicked his earlier words.

To her surprise, druggie let out a low chuckle. He looked up at her and cracked a smirk, "Don't be so uptight, princess."

Sakura scowled, "Fuck you!" She stormed off in the opposite direction of the boy, pausing only to flick him off when he called after her.

"My name's Sasuke, by the way!"

Sasuke smirked, watching the new girl's retreating figure with growing interest. _She'll be fun to mess with. _

_-_o-

**Junior Year**

_-_o-

"Sakura!"

Konoha High's 'It' girl turned around, grinning when she spotted her best friend Ino making her way towards their table in the middle of the cafeteria. As she walked, hips swaying left and right in a too-seductive-for-school manner, many eyes followed her.

Ino was that girl that most other girls couldn't stand. She was popular, a huge gossip, head cheerleader and an infamous bitch. But she was one of the Rich and Popular, and Sakura Haruno's best friend.

Everyone at Konoha High knew who Sakura Haruno was. She was the 'It' girl; there was simply no other way to describe her. Top of her class, on just about every club and sports team imaginable and friends with everyone. She had the type of personality that just drew you in, and the money and looks to keep her on top. Everybody loved Sakura, that is, except for one certain person.

Sasuke watched Sakura chat away with her slutty blond friend, watched her smile and laugh and just be Little Miss Perfection. He wasn't sitting anywhere close to her, in fact, he was sitting alone at the table in the corner, his glasses perched on his nose and math book open on his lap.

It wasn't that Sasuke didn't have the money or looks to hang with the In Crowd, he simply didn't want to. The thought of shunning others for their looks or status sickened him. In other words, Sakura Haruno should sicken him.

But she didn't.

If anything, she just pissed him off.

Sakura whispered something to Ino and they both stood up, Ino headed towards the table where Naruto and Kiba and all of them were sitting, and Sakura headed out of the cafeteria. Sasuke wondered what all that was about; normally those two were inseparable.

He shrugged it off, choosing instead to close up his book and follow Sakura out into the hallway. Some may consider this stalking, but Sasuke liked to think of it as research.

-o-

o-o

-o-

"Uchiha."

"Haruno."

They stared at each other for a moment, gazes hard.

Sasuke was the first to break eye contact. "You're not nearly as sweet as they make you out to be."

Sakura smirked, "No shit. Not out of my way, I need to put my books away."

Sasuke smirked and leaned back against her locker. "Make me."

"You ass," Sakura growled, "get out of my way!"

He chuckled; she was just so much fun to piss off. They've always had this kind of relationship, since Sasuke was the school nerd who hid his face behind his hood and glasses and Sakura was Konoha High's Golden Girl.

"Like I said; _make me._"

"Only in your wet dreams, Uchiha."

"Trust me," He captured her wrist in his hand, his grip like iron, and pulled her against him. Sakura could feel his heartbeat, they were so close. She could feel it was beating as rapidly as hers. "In my dreams, you do alot more than push me out of your way." He breathed in her ear.

Sakura did the first thing that popped into her mind; she kneed him in the balls.

"You're such a loser," She said, watching him crumple to the ground. "Seriously, why do I even bother talking to you?"

"Because I can piss you off." He choked out, a last ditch attempt to get a rise out of her.

Sakura paid him no mind, though, and simply put in her locker combination. The door popped open, and a picture posted on her locker wall caught Sasuke's eye.

"You like Shinobi?"

Sakura looked down at Sasuke, then back at the picture he was referring to. She smiled shyly, stroking a finger across the lead singer's face. "Duh. They're only, like, the greatest band ever! Plus, Ryuu is so hot!"

"Funny, because I happen to have two tickets to their concert tonight, but I can't go-" His sentence was cut off when Sakura yanked him into a standing position.

"You have to give me those tickets!"

"And what do I get if I do?"

"I'll tell Pein and his gang to quite bugging you for a whole week!"

Sasuke considered it. It wasn't like he couldn't;t handle Akatsuki, but if he fought back it would alert suspicion. That was the last thing he wanted, and it wasn't like he could ask the dobe to help him out.

He sighed and pushed Sakura off of him. "Fine. But one on condition,"

"Anything!" Sakura promised.

Sasuke smirked. "You need to get them for me."

She gave him a questioning look, "Where are they?"

"My back pocket."

"I HATE you!"

"You don't mean that."

At least, he was pretty sure she didn't.

-o-

o-o

-o-

"How did you say you got these tickets again!" Ino shouted over the cheers of the crowd.

Sakura smiled angelically, putting on her Golden Girl mask, "A friend of mine gave them to me because he couldn't go!"

They were in the very front seats, like front row seats, and Shinobi was almost all the way through their set-up for the night. The audience only got rowdier as the concert finale approached.

_If only I was here with Sasuke..._Sakura thought, then immediately dismissed it. She and Sasuke weren't even friends, he the school nerd, it would never work out between them. Not that she liked him in that way, anyway.

Ryuu Tsubasa, Shinobi's lead singer, flipped his sweaty hair out of his face, giving the crowd a heart-melting smirk.

_Why does that seem so familiar...?_

Ryuu looked directly at her, all smoldering eyes and spiky hair.

"Sakura, he's looking at you!" Ino hissed, grabbing her best friend's arm for emphasis.

But Sakura couldn't reply. She was too caught in Ryuu gaze, trying to figure out why this felt like Déjà vu. Before she could fully realize it, though, he brought her out of her daze with the sound of the mike cracking.

"How are you all doing tonight?"

The fans cheered.

"Good to hear! Listen, we've got one last song for you tonight. I wrote it recently, so sorry if it isn't our best, but it's about this girl I think I might be in love with," Ryuu locked eyes with Sakura again. "It's called Drag Me Down."

And then he started to sing, never once breaking eye contact with sakura throughout the entire song.

_Little miss perfection,_

_isn't what she seems._

_And it's too bad,_

_because she'll never know,_

_that's she's the girl of my dreams._

_I don't care if you can't stand me!_

_Because I hate you too!_

_You're as sweet as salt!_

_You're as gentle as a screw!_

_All you do, _

_Oh all you do!_

_All you do is,_

_Drag!_

_Me!_

_Down!_

_It doesn't make any sense,_

_but I like you better without the halo!_

_Maybe I disgust you,_

_and maybe you want me too!_

_But if you,_

_if you do!_

_But if you do, _

_Please let me know!_

_I don't care if you can't stand me!_

_Because I hate you too!_

_You're as sweet as salt!_

_You're as gentle as a hound!_

_All you do, _

_Oh all you do!_

_All you do is,_

_Drag!_

_Me!_

_Down!_

_Take me with you!_

_Take me with you!_

_Take me with you!_

_I'll never leave you!_

_Little miss perfection,_

_I think I love you!_

_I don't care if you can't stand me!_

_Because I hate you too!_

_You're as sweet as salt!_

_You're as gentle as a hound!_

_All you do, _

_Oh all you do!_

_All you do is,_

_Drag!_

_Me!_

_Down!_

Sakura blushed, feeling the weight of the world lift from her shoulders as Ryuu's gaze finally drifted away from her.

"God, what an amazing song!" Ino crooned, grinned lfrom ear to ear. "We really should go and see more concerts!"

"No," Sakura said, just the thought making her hyperventilate, "I think one is enough. Let's go home."

-o-

o-o

-o-

_Meet me on the rooftop after classes today. _

_~ Sasuke_

_That arrogant bastard._

Sakura crumpled up the small sheet of paper she had found in her locker that morning and tossed it over the edge. It was thirty minutes after school ended, and she'd been standing on the roof of the school building waiting for Sasuke to show up.

But he still wasn't there.

_Does he expect me to wait forever? _She thought heatedly, _That little nerd! I'll trip him next time he walks past me in the hall..._

With that thought, the door to the roof swung open behind her with a loud _bang! _

"Finally!" Sakura cried, turning on her heel to pin a murderous look on Sasuke. What she saw, however, made her breath leave her chest and her eyes go wide.

"Sakura," Ryuu Tsubasa said, in a tone that was way to familiar for how acquainted they were. Or rather, how acquainted Sakura _thought _they were. "I've been wanting to tell you this for a while..."

"Tell me what?" Sakura breathed, glad the words came out without a hitch. What was he doing here? And where the hell was Sasuke!

"I-" He hesitated, and only then did she notice the small bruise on his left cheek. _That wasn't there during the show last night..._She realized. It must have been recent, but how on earth could Ryuu Tsubasa get-

Oh, _shit. _

Sakura backed away slowly, the pieces finally fitting together in her mind like a puzzle. It all made sense now. Ryuu was wearing the same jacket Sasuke had worn today at school, the same crappy jeans, the same untied sneakers...and the same infuriating smirk.

"So you finally got it." Sasuke said, grabbing Sakura's wrist to keep her from running away to blab to the entire school. "I'm Ryuu Tsubasa, and the rest of Shinobi are Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Neji. _Don't tell anyone._"

"W-why the hell would you tell me!" Sakura stumbled over her words, wincing at the squeak in her voice.

"Because," Sasuke-Ryuu breathed, pressing their foreheads together and looking her in the eyes, "I love you."

Sakura's breath hitched. She was at a loss for words. So she settled on the only thing running through her mind;

"I love you, too."

Sasuke's eyes widened, before he wrapped an arm around her slim waist and kissed her fully on the lips. It was breath, and simple, but it left a blush on Sakura's cheeks and a lingering sensation on her mouth.

"You can drag me down any day." He smirked.

Sakura looked into his eyes. "So...how are we going to tell the entire school that the Golden Girl and the class nerd are dating?"

"We're not," Sasuke said, encasing her in a hug. "For now, let's just keep it a secret."

And then he kissed her again, and any and all protest died on her lips.

-o-

o-o

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**Soooo long :O**

**Hope you enjoyed it, ****..CHoMP.**

******I'm so sorry the kiss scene wasn't how you wanted! X(**

******It's just sometimes as a writer, we get carried away with our stories :)**

**Sequel?**

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**V**

I

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**W**

!

**(review, dammit)  
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